Recyclable, thermally insulated shipping container with packed, loose-fill organic insulation

ABSTRACT

A recyclable, thermally insulated shipping container is entirely constructed from organic fiber materials in such a manner that the container is curbside recyclable without separation of component materials. The container includes a corrugated cardboard outer box having a bottom wall, a plurality of sidewalls and a top wall, a corrugated cardboard inner liner assembly comprising a corrugated cardboard inner box having a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls, and a corrugated cardboard lid assembly. The outer box, inner liner assembly and lid assembly cooperate to create a plurality of thermally insulated cavities which are filled and uniformly packed with predetermined volumes of loose-fill cellulose (organic fiber) insulation to create a predetermined insulating value. The container provides a fully insulated six-sided product cavity to receive a temperature-controlled product. A portion of the product cavity may be filled with a PCM or other thermal media to provide a consistent temperature profile.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention: The instant invention relates to arecyclable, thermally insulated shipping container which is constructedfrom all wood fiber material and/or other organic recyclable materials,does not contain any plastic materials and is curbside recyclable.

(2) Description of Related Art: The shipping or transportation ofvarious perishable materials, such as medical supplies, food, etc.,frequently requires that such materials be maintained within a stabletemperature range, either higher or lower than ambient temperatures towhich the packaging of the materials will be exposed. Accordingly, thereare various different types of temperature controlled insulatedcontainers or shippers which are utilized for these criticalapplications.

In many applications, an insulated shipper comprises a cardboard outerbox, inorganic insulating material, such as a plurality of expandedpolystyrene (EPS) panels or pieces of insulation, and phase changematerial (PCM) gel packs, bricks, etc. used to heat or cool the interiorof the shipper. While the prior art shipping containers are effectivefor their intended purpose, the combined use of both cardboard andinorganic insulation, i.e. EPS and/or other plastic materials, in asingle packaging system poses problems for recycling of the container intraditional recycling programs as the different materials must beseparated for recycling of each material, or cannot be recycled at all,requiring dumping into a landfill.

Due to increasing demands from environmentally conscious businesses,customers and the general public, there is a growing need to utilizeshipping and packing containers which are fully recyclable withoutseparation of any component parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a unique all organic fiber recyclable,thermally insulated shipping container which can be placed directly intothe recycling stream without separation of the insulating materials andmay be recycled in a such a way that wood fiber materials arere-pulpable and capable of being converted into other paper-basedproducts.

A recyclable, thermally insulated shipping container in accordance withthe teachings of the present invention is entirely constructed fromorganic fiber materials (container and insulation) in such a manner thatthe container is curbside recyclable without any separation of componentmaterials.

The container may include a corrugated cardboard outer box having abottom wall, a plurality of sidewalls and a top wall, a corrugatedcardboard inner liner assembly including a corrugated cardboard innerbox having a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls, and a corrugatedcardboard lid assembly. In some embodiments, the sidewalls of the linerassembly may comprise paper materials.

The outer box is conventional in construction formed from a box blanksecured in a square or rectangular shape along a side wall edge, withtop and bottom closure flaps to create a traditional six-sided box.

The inner box is similarly conventional box construction forming asquare or rectangular five-sided open top box with bottom closure flapsforming a bottom wall.

The inner liner assembly may further consist of a corrugated cardboardor paperboard liner flange having a continuous top shelf portion, aplurality of outer securing tabs projecting downwardly from an outerperipheral edge of the top shelf portion, and a plurality of innersecuring tabs projecting downwardly from an inner peripheral edge of thetop shelf portion.

In the assembly, the inner securing tabs of the flange are receivedwithin the sidewalls of the inner box and secured with glue to innersurfaces of inner box sidewalls. The outer securing tabs are receivedwithin the sidewalls of the outer box and secured with glue to innersurfaces of outer box sidewalls. The inner liner assembly is securedwithin the outer box such that the shelf portion is positioned below thetop wall thereof to create a lid cavity above the shelf portion andbelow the top wall. The inner box forms a product cavity within theinterior of the container assembly. The inner liner assembly and theouter box cooperate to form a side thermal insulating cavity between therespective sidewalls thereof.

A predetermined volume of loose-fill cellulose, or other organic fiberinsulation is filled and packed within the side thermal insulatingcavity to provide a predetermined thermal insulating value. After thesidewall cavity is filled and packed, a corrugated cardboardstrengthening panel may be received within a bottom portion of the outerbox and positioned in adjacent facing relation with the bottom wall ofthe inner box. The strengthening panel thus closes the sidewall cavityand completely captures the loose fill insulation. Additionally, theouter box bottom wall and sidewalls, and the strengthening panelcooperate to form a bottom thermal insulating cavity in which anothervolume of loose-fill cellulose insulation is filled and packed toprovide a predetermined thermal insulating value. Once filled andpacked, the bottom closure flaps are closed to form the bottom wall andcapture the cellulose material.

The lid assembly may comprise a thermally insulated corrugated cardboardlid box having a bottom wall, a top wall and a plurality of sidewallswhich cooperate to define a thermal insulating lid cavity. Beforeclosing the lid box, another volume of loose-fill cellulose insulationfilled and packed within the lid cavity to provide a predeterminedthermal insulating value. The lid assembly is then received within thelid cavity. The top flaps remain unsealed so that the end consumer orshipper can access the inner product cavity.

It can thus be seen that the side, bottom and lid insulated cavitiesprovide a fully insulated six-sided product cavity to receive atemperature-controlled product. As known in the art, a portion of theproduct cavity may be filled with phase change material (PCM) packs,bricks, etc. or other heating or cooling medium to provide a consistenttemperature within the product cavity.

While embodiments of the invention have been described as having thefeatures recited, it is understood that various combinations of suchfeatures are also encompassed by particular embodiments of the inventionand that the scope of the invention is limited by the claims and not thedescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming particular embodiments of the instant invention,various embodiments of the invention can be more readily understood andappreciated from the following descriptions of various embodiments ofthe invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a recyclable, thermallyinsulated shipping container in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view thereof with the top flaps in a closed and sealedconfiguration;

FIG. 3 is a top view thereof with the top flaps open;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the inner liner assembly of the present shippingcontainer;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view thereof;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along line 7-7;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the liner flange blank;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a linerassembly;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along line 10-10 of FIG.9

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another alternative liner assembly;and;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken along line 12-12 of FIG.11 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide anoverall understanding of the principles of the structure, function,manufacture, and use of the device and methods disclosed herein. One ormore examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices andmethods specifically described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments and thatthe scope of the present invention is defined solely by the claims. Thefeatures illustrated or described in connection with one exemplaryembodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included within thescope of the present disclosure. Further, in the present disclosure,like-numbered components of the embodiments generally have similarfeatures, and thus within a particular embodiment each feature of eachlike-numbered component is not necessarily fully elaborated upon.Additionally, to the extent that linear or circular dimensions are usedin the description of the disclosed systems, devices, and methods, suchdimensions are not intended to limit the types of shapes that can beused in conjunction with such systems, devices, and methods. A personskilled in the art will recognize that an equivalent to such linear andcircular dimensions can easily be determined for any geometric shape.Further, to the extent that directional terms like top, bottom, up, ordown are used, they are not intended to limit the systems, devices, andmethods disclosed herein. A person skilled in the art will recognizethat these terms are merely relative to the system and device beingdiscussed and are not universal.

Referring now to the drawings, a recyclable, thermally insulatedshipping container according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventionis illustrated and generally indicated at 10 in FIGS. 1-8 .

As will be more fully described hereinafter, a recyclable, thermallyinsulated shipping container 10 in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention may be entirely constructed from recyclable organicfiber materials (container and insulation) in such a manner that theentire container assembly 10 is curbside recyclable without anyseparation of component materials.

The term “recyclable organic fiber” in the context of a box material isintended to include any type of natural wood fiber or plant fibermaterial which can be provided as a panel or corrugated panel material,such as corrugated cardboard, for forming a box structure.

The term “recyclable organic fiber” in the context of an insulatingmaterial is intended to include any type of natural wood fiber or plantfiber materials which can be provided as a loose-fill insulatingmaterial. Exemplary materials include loose-fill cellulose insulation,other non-woven wood or paper materials, rice, hemp, flax, wool, etc.

The container 10 may include an outer box 12 having a bottom wall 14, aplurality of sidewalls 16 and a top wall 18, an inner liner assembly 20including an inner box 22 having a bottom wall 24 and a plurality ofsidewalls 26, and a lid assembly 28. The outer box 12, inner box 22 andlid assembly, may in some embodiments comprise corrugated cardboardmaterial.

The outer box 12 may be conventional box construction formed from a boxblank secured in a square or rectangular shape along a side wall edge,with top and bottom closure flaps to create a traditional six-sided box.

The inner box 22 may similarly be conventional box construction forminga square or rectangular five-sided open top box with bottom closureflaps forming the bottom wall 24.

The inner liner assembly 20 may further consist of a liner flange 30having a continuous top shelf portion 32, a plurality of outer securingtabs 34 projecting downwardly from an outer peripheral edge of the topshelf portion 32, and a plurality of inner securing tabs 34 projectingdownwardly from an inner peripheral edge of the top shelf portion 32.The liner flange 30 may be formed from corrugated cardboard. FIG. 7illustrates the flange 30 (die cut blank) where it can be seen that theouter tabs 34 are die cut as part of the blank and folded downwardly toprovide surfaces to adhere to the outer box 12. The inner tabs 36 aresimilarly die cut with the blank with inwardly angled cuts 38 formingtrapezoidal shaped tabs 36.

In the assembly, the inner securing tabs 36 of the flange 30 arereceived within the sidewalls 26 of the inner box 22 and may be securedwith glue to inner surfaces of inner box sidewalls 26. After the flange30 is assembled with the inner box 22, the outer securing tabs 34 arereceived within the sidewalls 16 of the outer box 12 and may be securedwith glue to inner surfaces of outer box sidewalls 16. While glue isdescribed as an exemplary method of attachment, other securing methodsare also contemplated including various forms of mechanical fasteners.

Turning to the cross-sectional view in FIG. 4 it can be seen that theinner liner assembly 20 is secured within the outer box 12 such that theshelf portion 32 is positioned below the top wall 18 (or top lip)thereof to create a lid cavity 40 above the shelf portion 32 and belowthe top wall 18. The inner box 22 forms a product cavity 42 within theinterior of the container assembly 10. The inner liner assembly 20 andthe outer box 12 cooperate to form a square annular shaped side thermalinsulating cavity 44 between the respective sidewalls 16,26 thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4 , a predetermined volume of loose-fillcellulose insulation 46 may be filled and uniformly packed within theside thermal insulating cavity 44 to provide a predetermined thermalinsulating value. As noted above, loose-fill cellulose is used in theexemplary embodiments, but, it should be understood that any recyclable,loose-fill, organic wood or plant fiber material may be utilized. Insome embodiments, the loose-fill cellulose 46 may be portioned andpacked in such a manner to provide an insulting value of between R2-6per inch of thickness, and preferably between R4-5 per inch ofthickness. The density may be in the range of 2-6 pounds of celluloseper cubic foot, and more preferably in the range of 3.5-5 pounds ofcellulose insulating material per cubic foot. This packing densityprovides and insulating value very similar to Styrofoam EPS and thusprovides a highly effective alternative. In the exemplary embodiments,the thickness of the insulating material may be about 1.0 inch to about2.0 inch but may be as much as 4-5 inches thick depending on theapplication.

The loose-fill cellulose material 46 may in some embodiments comprise aborate treated loose-fill cellulose material, which is fire resistant,mold, fungus, mildew, and insect resistant.

Turning to FIG. 7 it is noted that the unique die cut flange 30 allowsboth the outer and inner tabs 34,36 to be folded and received indownwardly extending orientations, to provide a full-length glue linearound the periphery of the inner surface of the outer box 12 and toprovide a tight seal around the upper peripheral edge lip of the innerbox 22. Accordingly, this die cut configuration forms tight fittinginterconnections between the inner and outer boxes 12,22 and the flange30 and effectively captures and prevents the loose-fill cellulose 46from leaking out of the side cavity 44 into the interior product cavity42 of the box 20. While the loose-fill insulating material isadvantageous for packing and recycling, the loose-fill nature of thematerial makes it difficult to capture and contain within enclosedspaces. Both medical and food industry customers express the need toprevent any of the cellulose material 46 from leaking into the interiorof the shipper where it could contact the product being shipped.

After the sidewall cavity 44 is filled and packed, a strengthening panel48 may be received within a bottom portion of the outer box 12 andpositioned in adjacent facing relation with the bottom wall 24 of theinner box 22. The strengthening panel 48 may be formed from corrugatedcardboard. The strengthening panel 48 thus closes the sidewall cavity 44and completely captures the loose fill insulation 46 within the sidecavity 44. Additionally, the outer box bottom wall 14 and sidewalls 16,and the strengthening panel 48 cooperate to form a bottom thermalinsulating cavity 50 in which another volume of loose-fill celluloseinsulation 52 is filled and packed to provide a predetermined thermalinsulating value as described hereinabove. Once filled and packed, thebottom closure flaps are closed to form the bottom wall 14 and capturethe cellulose material 52 within the bottom cavity 50. The strengtheningpanel 48 has been found to be a critical strengthening component in droptests to provide improved rigidity to the container 10 and prevent theloose cellulose material 46,52 from leaking (spraying or blowing) intothe interior product cavity 42 due to sudden pressure forces encounteredin a drop.

The lid assembly 28 comprises a thermally insulated lid box 54 having abottom wall 56, a top wall 58 and a plurality of sidewalls 60 whichcooperate to define a thermal insulating lid cavity 62. The lid box 54may be formed from corrugated cardboard. Before closing the lid box 54,another volume of loose-fill organic insulation (cellulose) 64 is filledand packed within the lid cavity to provide a predetermined thermalinsulating value (as described above). The lid assembly 28 is thenreceived within the lid cavity 40.

The top flaps of the container 10 remain unsealed so that the endconsumer or shipper can access the inner product cavity 42 for packing.

It can thus be seen that the side, bottom, and lid insulation volumes46, 52, 64 provide a fully thermally insulated six-sided product cavity42 to receive a temperature-controlled product (now shown).

As known in the art, a portion of the product cavity 42 may be filledwith phase change material (PCM) packs, bricks, etc. or other heating orcooling medium, such as dry ice, to provide a desired, consistenttemperature profile within the product cavity 42. In this regard, someembodiments may further comprise a product tray 66 which receives thetemperature-controlled product, separating it from a PCM material orother thermal mass (not shown) which may be positioned in a bottomportion of the inner product cavity 42.

Turning to FIGS. 9 and 10 , in some embodiments, an inner liner assembly20A may be constructed from a flange 30A and an organic fiber liner 22Asimilar to a vacuum cleaner bag material. The flange 30A may comprise arigid organic fiber material, such as paperboard or cardboard withdownwardly turned tabs 34A as previously described. The liner 22A maycomprise an organic, wood or plant fiber material, such as a papermaterial or reinforced paper material, creating the inner wall 26A witha wall thickness being significantly thinner than the previouslydescribed inner box 22, yet providing the same strength as a cardboardmaterial to prevent perforations. The liner 22A may be secured to theflange in a sealed collar configuration with an upper peripheral edge ofthe liner glued, stitched, or otherwise secured to the lower surface ofthe flange 30A or captured and secured between two layers of paperboardmaterial (not shown).

In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12 , a linerassembly 20B may include a double walled paper liner assembly whereinthe loose-fill organic insulation material 46B is pre-filled and sealedbetween inner and outer paper liner walls 26B, 27B secured to a flange30B with a sealed collar configuration. In this regard, the loose-fillinsulation may be pre-filled in a separate operation and then thecompeted liner assembly 20B could simply be inserted into the open topof an outer box without securing the flange to the outer box 12.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structuresembodying various embodiments of the invention, it will be manifest tothose skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangementsof the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to theparticular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicatedby the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A recyclable, thermally insulated shippingcontainer comprising: an outer box having a bottom wall, a plurality ofsidewalls and a top wall; an inner liner assembly comprising an innerbox having a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls, said inner linerassembly further comprising a liner flange having a continuous top shelfportion and at least one of (i) a plurality of outer securing tabsprojecting downwardly from an outer peripheral edge of the top shelfportion and being secured to inner surfaces of said outer box sidewallsor (ii) a plurality of inner securing tabs projecting downwardly from aninner peripheral edge of the top shelf portion and being secured toinner surfaces of said inner box sidewalls, said inner liner assemblyand said outer box cooperating to form a first thermal insulating cavitybetween said respective sidewalls; and a loose-fill organic fiberinsulation being filled and packed within said first thermal insulatingcavity to provide a predetermined thermal insulating value.
 2. Therecyclable, thermally insulated shipping container of claim 1 furthercomprising a thermally insulated lid assembly, said thermally insulatedlid assembly comprising a lid box having a bottom wall, a top wall and aplurality of sidewalls cooperating to define a thermal insulating lidcavity, and a loose-fill cellulose insulation being filled and packedwithin said thermal insulating lid cavity to provide a predeterminedthermal insulating value, said inner liner assembly being secured withinsaid outer box such that the shelf portion is positioned below the topwall of the outer box to create a lid cavity above said shelf portionand below said top wall, said thermally insulated lid assembly beingreceived within said lid cavity.
 3. The recyclable, thermally insulatedshipping container of claim 2, wherein said outer box, said linerflange, said inner box and said lid box are constructed from a woodfiber or plant fiber material.
 4. The recyclable, thermally insulatedshipping container of claim 3, wherein said wood fiber or plant fibermaterial is cardboard.
 5. The recyclable, thermally insulated shippingcontainer of claim 1, wherein said outer box, said liner flange and saidinner box are constructed from a wood fiber or plant fiber material. 6.The recyclable, thermally insulated shipping container of claim 5,wherein said wood fiber or plant fiber material is cardboard.
 7. Therecyclable, thermally insulated shipping container of claim 1 whereinsaid loose-fill organic fiber insulation is cellulose.
 8. The recyclablethermally insulated shipping container of claim 7 wherein said celluloseis packed at a density of between 2 and 6 pounds per cubic foot.
 9. Therecyclable thermally insulated shipping container of claim 8 whereinsaid cellulose is packed at a density of between 3 and 5 pounds percubic foot.
 10. The recyclable, thermally insulated shipping containerof claim 8 wherein said organic fiber insulation provides an insulatingvalue between R2 and R6 per inch of wall thickness.
 11. The recyclable,thermally insulated shipping container of claim 7 wherein said organicfiber insulation provides an insulating value between R2 and R6 per inchof wall thickness.
 12. The recyclable, thermally insulated shippingcontainer of claim 1 wherein said organic fiber insulation provides aninsulating value between R2 and R6 per inch of wall thickness.
 13. Therecyclable, thermally insulated shipping container of claim 1 furthercomprising: a strengthening panel received within a bottom portion ofthe outer box and positioned in adjacent facing relation with the bottomwall of the inner box, said outer box bottom wall and sidewalls and saidstrengthening panel cooperating to form a second thermal insulatingcavity; and a loose-fill organic fiber insulation being filled andpacked within said second thermal insulating cavity to provide apredetermined thermal insulating value.
 14. A recyclable, thermallyinsulated shipping container comprising: a cardboard outer box having abottom wall, a plurality of sidewalls and a top wall; a cardboard innerliner assembly comprising a cardboard inner box having a bottom wall anda plurality of sidewalls, said inner liner assembly further comprising acardboard liner flange having a continuous top shelf portion and atleast one of (i) a plurality of outer securing tabs projectingdownwardly from an outer peripheral edge of the top shelf portion andbeing secured to inner surfaces of said outer box sidewalls or (ii) aplurality of inner securing tabs projecting downwardly from an innerperipheral edge of the top shelf portion and being secured to innersurfaces of said inner box sidewalls, said inner liner assembly beingsecured within said outer box such that the shelf portion is positionedbelow the top wall of the outer box to create a lid cavity above saidshelf portion and below said top wall, said inner liner assembly andsaid outer box cooperating to form a side thermal insulating cavitybetween said respective sidewalls; a loose-fill cellulose insulationbeing filled and packed within said side thermal insulating cavity toprovide a predetermined thermal insulating value; and a lid assemblycomprising a thermally insulated lid box having a bottom wall, a topwall and a plurality of sidewalls cooperating to define a thermalinsulating lid cavity and a loose-fill cellulose insulation being filledand packed within said thermal insulating lid cavity to provide apredetermined thermal insulating value, said thermally insulated lidassembly being received within said lid cavity.
 15. The recyclablethermally insulated shipping container of claim 14 wherein saidcellulose is packed at a density of between 2 and 6 pounds per cubicfoot.
 16. The recyclable thermally insulated shipping container of claim15 wherein said cellulose is packed at a density of between 3 and 5pounds per cubic foot.
 17. The recyclable, thermally insulated shippingcontainer of claim 15 wherein said cellulose provides an insulatingvalue between R2 and R6 per inch of wall thickness.
 18. The recyclable,thermally insulated shipping container of claim 14 wherein saidcellulose provides an insulating value between R2 and R6 per inch ofwall thickness.
 19. The recyclable, thermally insulated shippingcontainer of claim 14 further comprising: a strengthening panel receivedwithin a bottom portion of the outer box and positioned in adjacentfacing relation with the bottom wall of the inner box, said outer boxbottom wall and sidewalls and said strengthening panel cooperating toform a bottom thermal insulating cavity; and a loose-fill celluloseinsulation being filled and packed within said bottom thermal insulatingcavity to provide a predetermined thermal insulating value.